Data center benefits SU students
Though IBM has already invested into the creation of Syracuse University’s new Green Data Center, the innovations have not stopped there.
On top of the $27 million investment that the company agreed to invest into the center for the next five years, IBM has provided the center with a System z10 mainframe, a single piece of equipment that acts as a large-scale data storage center.
The mainframe single-handedly replaces thousands of individual servers. The system has the capability to process very large and complex amounts of data, said David Dischiave, a professor at SU’s School of Information Studies.
Use of the z10 will allow SU students to get acquainted with real-world data centers at a university level. The students that work with the mainframe will be more attractive to employers because they will already have experience with technology that can be found in large corporations, Dischiave said.
Corporate mega giants like General Motors and Citibank use identical enterprise technology because the system has the capacity to account for even the largest amount of client-based data, he said.
It is unusual for a university to have technology so similar to corporate technology, Dischiave said.
‘I don’t think other universities had the capacity to integrate it into the curriculum as easily as SU could,’ he said.
Obtaining this system was a three-year process. Beginning in March 2006, iSchool representatives began lobbying for the system. The faculty members traveled to IBM headquarters in Armonk, N.Y. and built a case for SU in order for them to acquire the z10, said Susan Dischiave, also an iSchool professor.
IBM decided to invest money for the z10 after completion of the Green Data Center, which is located on the university’s South Campus, David said.
The faculty at the iSchool is currently integrating the IBM System z10 into their curriculum. The university now offers undergraduate and graduate courses in enterprise technologies, global computing and data base processes, David said.
Sam Disston, a junior psychology major, is currently enrolled in David’s enterprise technologies course. The class is using IBM’s z9 server, which is based in Dallas, Texas. SU students can access this server by logging on. They can then input and process data into the Dallas server from their classroom.
The class’s distance from the server, however, often slows the data processes, Disston said.
SU’s z10 mainframe will be available to other universities as well. Currently, students from the University of Delaware and LeMoyne College have access to the university’s system, Susan said.
The z10 system, which is roughly the size of a refrigerator, will allow for much faster system usage and increased reliability, Disston said.By consolidating this software into one piece of machinery, the z10 also saves energy, David said.
IBM also provided SU with a DS 8000 processing system, which allows the university to store large amounts of data that can then be processed using the z10 system, she said.
Published on December 7, 2009 at 12:00 pm
